WWW Wednesdays {June 5, 2013}

WWW Wednesdays: A fun weekly meme hosted by MizB @ Should Be Reading. This meme gives opportunity to  readers to share our current reading, books we recently finished and books we're going to read next.

What are you currently reading?

I'm currently reading a middle-grade book "The Peculiar" by Stefan Bachmann. I am intrigued with the idea of fay story combined with some mysteries and clockwork devices. I am halfway through the story and it is enjoyable thus far.

What did you recently finished reading?

The last book I read was a thought-provoking story of intersexuality, "Golden Boy" by Abigail Tarttelin. It was an eye-opening and I really liked the way the author tackles such a complicated issue in a beautifully written story of Max Walker. Recommended!

What do you think you'll read next?

Picking the next read is quite hard since I have several books that I really want to read soon. So, I've made a list of TBR books. Next books I'd read would be "Lost and Found", a romantic novel by Nicole Williams, and a mystery book by John Gaspard called "The Ambitious Card" (received from Netgalley)

Teaser: The Girl Who Disappeared Twice by Andrea Kane

Teaser Tuesdays

A fun weekly meme Hosted by MizB @ Should Be Reading where readers share the teaser sentences from their current reads. This week's teaser is from a thriller/suspense novel from Andrea Kane, The Girl Who Disappeared Twice. I would like to give credit Netgalley for giving me the chance to read this E-book. And, for the story, it's a fast pace thriller and keep on putting me at the edge of my sit.

The Blurb

 

Over three decades ago, Felicity and her identical-twin sister Hope were chloroformed and one of them is abducted -Felicity. Her body was never recovered and the case remain cold. In this current year, Hope's daughter have been reported missing after the school hour. Hope's is breaking down, last time her sister and now her very own adorable 5 years old daughter has been abducted. History is repeating, but Hope wants to stop it so she hires Forensic Instinct, a group of forensic investigators lead by Casey Woods, a forensic profiler to find her abducted little Krissy. Who is/are the abductors and is this case has anything to do with Felicity's abduction over 30 years ago?

"You look like you belong here. Which is good, since there's no escape. Even though right now that's all you'll want to do." - page 52

Genre Wars & TBR Piles

Hey readers and bookaholics!!

I'm so glad to be back here at Coffee N Crackers. In these last few months I don't really have the heart to update my blog or to participate in any of these blogging thingy. But, now I think, is the right time to start over. Well, it's Friday and I so happy to participate in the Friday Memes, Follow Friday and Book Blogger Hope. I haven't done any of these in such a long time and it feels great to be back in game!! 

Book Blogger Hop: Hosted by Crazy for Books. This week's question is "How many books are current in your To-Be-Read (TBR) pile?". My answer: Well, I'm not so sure about these. I think there are lots of books I'd really need to pick up and read. But, right now I own about 20-25 books in total and the rest of my TBR pile are books still on the bookstores' shelves! 

Friday Follows: Hosted by Parajunkee's View: This week's question is "Genre Wars!! What's your favorite genre made it your favorite? ". My answer: Woa! this is a tough question to answer with a single genre and even more difficult to list a book out of that genre as I consider myself an eclectic reader. But, it's ok, I can give it! My favorite genre, I'd say, would be Mystery & Thrillers and the latest book that I've read that make it my favorite is a gigantic epic by Stephen King, Under the Dome. The book is just extraordinarily crafted.

WWW Wednesdays Feb. 23, 2011

A fun weekly meme hosted by MizB @ Should Be Reading. This meme gives opportunity to  readers to share our current reading, books we recently finished and books we're going to read next.

What are you currently reading?

"The Other Boleyn Girl" by Philippa Gregory. A rich and compelling tale of love, ambition, lust, and intrigue. Introduces a woman who survived the most glamorous and dangerous court in Europe by following her heart. Currently on page 58. 

What did you recently finished reading?

A fast-fired action thriller by Sean Slater, "The Survivor". No known motives, and no suspect, Detective Jacob Striker worked against the clock to solve the mystery behind Active Shooter at St. Patrick High. Everything lies behind the Red Mask. 4 Stars read. 

What do you think you'll read next?

I'm planning to read Cassandra Clare's The Infernal Devices book 1, "Clockwork Angel" and  the first book of Caster Chronicles Series by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl, "Beautiful Creatures".  

CNC Book Discoveries #1

"The Sherlockian" by Graham Moore:  Dec. 1893, Arthur Conan Doyle had killed Sherlock Holmes In 1901, he abruptly resurrected the hero. Why? He never explained but his diary, now missing can tell everything. Harold White a literary researcher uses wisdom and methods gleaned from countless detective stories, takes up the search, both for the diary and for the killer of Doylean Scholar.

"The Holmes Affair" by Graham Moore: Victorian London: Conan Doyle and Bram Stoker roam the dark streets of Victorian London searching for clues as to what happened to the girls who were brutally killed. Modern-day New York: Harold White is solving the mystery of Conan Doyle's missing diary and Doylean scholar murder. 

"Wither" by Lauren DeStefano: At age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years to live. Thanks to a botched effort to create a perfect race, all females live to be twenty, and males live to age twenty-five. After Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she is desperate to escape from her husband’s strange world, her attempts to flee brings her into a society spiraling into anarchy.

"Feed" by Mira Grant:  Two experimental viruses escaped the lab and combined to form a single airborne pathogen that swept around the world in a matter of days and raised the dead. Newsflesh trilogy follows a team of bloggers, led by Georgia and Shaun Mason, as they search for the brutal truths behind the infection. "Feed" is the first book of the trilogy.  

Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge 2011

  

This challenge is hosted by Book Chick City. I wasn't participate in 2010 though I read lots of mystery and suspense books. But would love to give it a try this 2011. Hopefully I manage to read at least 12 books of this genre. This challenge will start from January 1, 2011 means tomorrow, until December 31, 2011. For those who want to participate can click on the banner for further info regarding the challenge. And yes! participants will get an ARC of "The Survivor" by Sean Slater for free to start off the challenge!

Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge 2011

1..................................................................................................................

2..................................................................................................................

3..................................................................................................................

4..................................................................................................................

5..................................................................................................................

6..................................................................................................................

7..................................................................................................................

8..................................................................................................................

9..................................................................................................................

10................................................................................................................

11................................................................................................................

12................................................................................................................

Are You Afraid of the Dark? by Sidney Sheldon

Are You Afraid of the Dark? by Sidney Sheldon

Date Finished: November 18, 2010

Thriller, Paperback, 416 Pages, Borrowed from Library

The Story: Kelly's and Diane's husbands are both dead. Several others all around the globe are being reported missing or dead and all are connected with the world largest think tank, KIG. Kelly and Diane join forces to find the truth behind their beloved husbands' murders. But, the one who is helping them is the one that wants to cut their life short the way he ended their husbands'.

My Thought: This thriller by master of storyteller, Sidney Sheldon, pushes me to edge of my sit. Starts with a little bit sad and depressing since the main characters are mourning over their beloved husbands' deaths and keep on flashing back the sweet memories. But then, the fast fired suspense make me feel like riding a roller coaster, with the adrenaline rushing all over my body (if you got heart attack, read this at your own risk) and I just can't stop flipping the pages to get to know what is going to happen next. I loved Kelly and Diane, because they're both beauties, brave as well as very brilliant (as they manage to outwit the genius bastard!). I loved the whole part of "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" though the ending twist is a bit shaky (lost a cup of coffee). Sheldon also manages to relate the story with the "climate change" issue and it's effect especially to the world's economy. All in all, it was a satisfying read!! Recommended.

CoffeeNCracker's Meter: 4 Cups of Coffee

Guest Post: Author Judy Nichols

Jody Nichols is a Mystery & Thrillers author and so far she had written books, "Caviar Dreams" and "Tree Huggers".  I'm hereby so delighted to welcome Judy Nichols at Coffee N Crackers.

"Just Give Me Your Honest Opinion"

It happens to nearly every successful writer and many of the not so successful ones. A friend approaches you, clutching the pages of a short story, or a poem, or the first few chapters of a novel, sheepishly requesting you read it and give your “honest” opinion.

You smile and say sure, you'd love to, even though you'd rather have a root canal. After putting it off as long as you can, you sit down and give the work-in-progress a read and immediately wish you hadn't. Because it's really, really bad.It's so full of adverbs and hackneyed phrases that you're not even sure there's a story in there. And when you do find that story, you realize you've read it a hundred times already. You like this person and you know very well your honest opinion would wound them to the core.So what do you do?

I always think back to my friend Steve, who was an accomplished poet and a sharp critic to those in his writing group. I had a flat mate then who fancied herself a poet. She requested that I ask Steve to read some of her poems. At the time I didn't know much about writing poetry, (still don't) but I could tell that hers wasn't any good. Lots of tired imagery and cliches. Not to mention the adverbs.I figured Steve would eat her alive. But when he returned her work, he smiled and said “I see some good things here, and I think you should continue your writing.” And then he recommended she join a writing group or enroll in the local university's creative writing program. She looked a bit disappointed, but thanked him and went off to her room. When she was out of earshot, I asked him what good things could he possibly have seen in her poetry..

“Noun-verb agreement. Correct spelling,” he replied. Then he went on to say that anyone who writes should be encouraged to keep at it. The university courses would only make her writing better and if she was serious about it, she could become a good writer. Even a great one. Every writer has to start from somewhere. So I always read the manuscripts, and I always look for good things, even if it is just noun-verb agreement. I recommend joining a writing group, taking a creative writing course, or buying Stephen King's brilliant memoir On Writing. And I never, ever tell any aspiring writer to give up.

Because with very few exceptions, every good writer starts off as a bad one.

About Judy Nichols

For no good reason, she decided to write a book while her infant daughter napped. Five years and several viewings of "Toy Story" later, her novel "Caviar Dreams" was finished, a murder mystery based in Cincinnati. Ms. Nichols holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Kent State University. She has been a newspaper reporter, a teacher, a temporary office worker, a customer service representative, and currently stay-at-home mom with way too much time on her hands. Her second novel, Tree Huggers was published in March of 2008, inspired by her work as a newspaper reporter and a volunteer for The Nature Conservancy.

Thanks so much for your great post Judy.  

Teaser Tuesdays: Tree Huggers

Title: Tree Huggers
Author: Judy Nichols
Publisher: Zumaya Enigma
Details:  PDF, 272 Pages
Genre: Suspense, Thriller, Family

She undid the string that held the envelope shut anddumped the contents onto her desk.Suddenly, the room was filled with her screams.

........

Teaser Tuesdays' Rules

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!